shop therapy

Day 3 of All Things Apartment Therapy. Did you know that the Apartment Therapy blog has it's own Marketplace? No? Well peeps, I'll break it to you gently. It's mind-blowingly (is that even a word?) ENORMOUS. Over 2500 stores and counting. It's superbly well done - leave it to Apartment Therapy to put it all together meticulously.  

You can browse by Style, Location, Category, or do a search. The Marketplace homepage has a running banner of sample stores to pique your interest, as well as thumbnails of 30 diverse stores being highlighted. The 4 photos you see here are samples from those 30 stores. When you click on a store, not only do you get more information about that store, you receive comments from customers and their experience with that store (similar to Amazon). If that wasn't enough, in the side bar you will find suggestions of similar stores that may interest you. Nice!

The majority of Marketplace stores are internet only. Some stores also have brick-and-mortar locations as well, or will ship to your location. Either way, Marketplace makes sure you know this and will label the store for you. You may have a really cool store right in your vicinity and don't even know it (I had several!). With all this Marketplace efficiency, I have to admit, I was sold. And like yesterday's post, I could be lost in the internet for days on end. I guess after that kind of build up I should post the link, eh? Hehehe ------------> Apartment Therapy Marketplace 

(Photo Credits: Image 1.Solio, 2.Smiling Planet, 3.Tin Toy Arcade, 4.Wall Sticker Shop)

craft therapy

Day 2 of my Apartment Therapy catch-up: CRAFTINESS! Oh how I love a good craft, and I know you do too. Not a cheesy one; a downright, classy one! Well, this post could keep you busy for days on end, so get comfortable. Actually, this post could be responsible for a search party being sent out to look for you. Better include treats.

I seem to really enjoy posts written by Sarah Coffey of the AP Chicago team. You know what they say: great minds think alike :) Anyway, she's done herself proud putting this list of crafty blogs together. Many of them are already well known - their reputations precede them. They include ALL kinds of crafts and ALL types of levels, so no stone (or hammer... or glue stick) has been left unturned. And like just about any blog out there, they have their so-so posts and their rip-roaring, out-of-control amazing posts. Overall, they are a treasure trove of creative smarts in one place. You can thank Sarah for that. You can thank me for re-posting it here. You're welcome :) 

  

So without further ado, click --------> HERE <-------- for Apartment Therapy's 10 all time favorite craft blogs :)

Special Note: make sure you scroll down to read the comment section as well -  many readers chime right in with their own personal crafty favorites. Get ready for some serious bookmarking! And most importantly, have fun!

(image: the purl bee)

therapy week

Oh, Apartment Therapy, how I have missed you! I have ignored you for 4 entire months. Saving all your e-mails... sadly passing you by as I check favorite blogs that don't lure me in for hours at a time... desperately missing your gems of design information... feeling as though my inspiration meter has been slowly sucked dry and withered. I'm dangerously within a few puffs of watching it disintegrate into the atmosphere :0

But NO MORE! I am back! Hah! The dust, as they say, has momentarily settled in this crazy life of mine, and I'm wasting no time snatching this week to catch up with you and share my favorite things with my readers! Okay. The truth is, I threw my neck out and I can barely move. Because aging SUCKS. No matter - it's forcing me to slow down and I'm taking that as a blessing in disguise! Glass half full people! GLASS. HALF. FULL.   

I'm starting off by highlighting this amazing post on SUPERSIZE FAMILY PHOTOS because size *does* matter! You already know I love things that are oversized, but do these photos take the cake or WHAT! They make such a statement... they are enchanting, captivating and powerful... Just look at how they enhance these rooms! Rooms that already look fabulous on their own - but how much more extraordinary are they with these personal, oversized photos as the crowning jewel and focal point!? A grouping of pictures/prints/paintings/etc. is always nice when done in good taste, and in any one of these same settings would have looked great. But think about it. After having seen the impact of the oversized... can you truly imagine anything else looking as outstanding?

If you click on the Apartment Therapy link it will take you to their main, updated - as of now - site. If you click on the SUPERSIZE FAMILY PHOTOS link, it will take you to the post with more photos and lots of great links on how you can make this look a reality for your own home. All different methods and price points, and you may even spark a few ideas of your own. My little pea brain is already starting to whirl again :) I can't wait to see what else is waiting for me to share with you in all the other AP e-mails that have been patiently waiting for me! 

Images:

1. VT Wonen

2. Posterazor in a pro's hand via Unplggd

3. Sixx Design